June 11, 2014
WaterMatic Spring Maintenance
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After a long brutal winter warmer temperatures seem to be here to stay. Your WaterMatic series waterer requires little spring maintenance however, below is a list of tips that will help keep your waterer clean and functioning for your animals throughout the summer.
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Cleaning
The cold weather often prevents a cleaning so a good cleaning may be necessary. Elbow grease is usually all that is needed however should you prefer to use a cleaning product, animal safe cleaners can be used without worry of damaging the waterer. Please contact your local Veterinarian for their recommendations on animal safe cleaners.
Ritchie recommends cleaning your waterer every 3 days or as needed to prevent algae formation or mosquito larvae development. Maintenance cleaning should only take a couple minutes as shown in our video below.
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Heaters
The heaters are an optional feature with our WaterMatic series. If you are in an area that utilizes the optional heat, now is the time to remove the immersion heater. This will help to elongate the life of the heater and prevent deposits from accumulating. Once the heater is removed, wipe it off and store in a dry place until fall.
Removing the heater is an easy step to ensure you have a functioning heater in the fall. Follow the video below for instructions.
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Ritchie Valve
The valve in your WaterMatic is one of two sizes and maintains a constant supply of water to your trough. If your valve is functioning as expected, no additional maintenance is needed.
Troubleshooting
Normal usage or a build-up of deposits may cause the valve to drip. If you notice a drip in your valve, follow the steps below.
1. If you notice a drip in your valve, begin by flipping over or changing the valve rubber.
* 1/2″ valve series Video Tutorial,
* 3/4″ valve series Video Tutorial.
2. Changing the valve in your waterer may also be needed. For more information on our two valve series, visit our Valve web page.
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